My philosophy is that every student deserves a chance to reach their full potential. I believe that strong relationships with students, parents, aides, administration and other teachers is the key to unlocking this potential. My CID (Communication Interaction Disorder) program focuses on communication and social skills throughout the entire day. My students are expected to use full sentences (if able) when communicating. My students use a variety of ways to communicate such as verbal words, pictures, augmentative communication devices, gestures and some sign language. I have high expectations of my students in every aspect of school such as academics, behavior, communication and relationships. My students are expected to give their best effort in every situation throughout the day. I push my students out of their comfort zone at times so they are able to learn how to deal with frustration in a positive manner. It is a challenging but very rewarding program.

I also believe in inclusion. It is my goal to include my students with their mainstream peers as much as they are able. So far this has proven to be a great success and watching my students use their social and communication skills they learned in a small group setting and generalizing those skills in the mainstream environment. I have also informed my students mainstream classmates and teachers about autism. Click on the inclusion link below to view my presentation.